I Don't Agree to the Terms
Chapter 492 - 272: Return, Aftereffects of Conquering Three Cities

Chapter 492: Chapter 272: Return, Aftereffects of Conquering Three Cities

"This marks the beginning, I suppose."

Seven days after returning to Wen’an City, Jiang Lu had captured three cities in quick succession, raking in substantial rewards.

In addition, Liang State had plunged into chaos, with local lords waging war against each other, making life even harder for the common folk.

Moreover, Gu Shanhai, through the local intelligence system, learned that the allied forces had officially commenced battle against the Yong’an Army.

The dispersion of the Liangzhou Army didn’t mean other regions’ forces could not arrive.

The battle was going back and forth, but it was clear that the Yong’an Army had the upper hand, at least for now.

Gu Shanhai was quite surprised when he received this news; he had thought the allies would dominate from the start. However, thinking about it, it made sense since the allies were disunited with everyone harboring their own agendas—how could they possibly win against the opponents, even if the Yong’an Army also engaged in internal strife?

After Jiang Lu had taken three cities, Gu Shanhai had also secured a good portion of the resources, but he didn’t ask for much—he only took what was useful to him.

"Teacher, did you need me for something?" Jiang Lu came over, looking somewhat exhausted, and asked respectfully.

"At this point with four cities under control, you must be short of hands now," Gu Shanhai did not respond directly.

Jiang Lu rubbed his temples; he had only just returned that morning, and he indeed had a shortage of manpower. Currently, only Zhan Yan was capable of helping him manage affairs; Li Yu had been reassigned by him to handle economic matters, and his three sworn brothers were now garrisoning the three cities he had conquered.

In reality, Jiang Lu could have taken three more cities without issue, but the real challenge lay in the management of their aftermath.

"Do you have a solution, Teacher? If it involves life-reducing deductions, let’s forget about it," Jiang Lu said flatly, as he was too pressed for time to beat around the bush.

"That’s a pity because the quickest solution is not what you want; we’ll have to resort to a slower method then," Gu Shanhai remarked, implying that even when offered shortcuts, Jiang Lu did not want them.

However, it made sense as the shortcuts weren’t from Jiang Lu himself, but from Gu Shanhai.

"I’ve copied some things; see if you can implement them, they should solve the problem," Gu Shanhai quickly produced a substantial amount of materials, including but not limited to the Recruitment Order, various administrative reforms, and methods to enhance productivity—indeed, he had copied them.

"Teacher, it looks like you’re bringing out the real deal this time," Jiang Lu said with a laugh upon seeing the stack of materials, realizing without even checking that Gu Shanhai wouldn’t scam him.

As for the copying, Jiang Lu simply took it as a joke from Gu Shanhai.

"Borrowed, borrowed, go back and take a look; if you don’t understand anything, come back and ask me," Gu Shanhai wasn’t digging deep into the matter. But no worries, he had the Four Sacred Beasts System to help simulate and optimize, at least enough to handle Jiang Lu’s current issues.

The solutions he offered weren’t perfect systems or policy orders—nothing is flawless in the world. As long as they addressed the current issues, future matters could be dealt with in the future.

"Thank you very much, Teacher," Jiang Lu said cheerfully after taking the materials, delighted not for anything else but because Gu Shanhai hadn’t assigned him any homework.

Otherwise, the pile of materials would surely have generated hundreds of pounds of homework.

In fact, he was quite enjoying this privilege, but not because he felt uncomfortable without homework; rather, it was knowing he had someone to turn to for help if any issues arose.

"I feel like I might have forgotten something," Gu Shanhai watched as Jiang Lu left, with a strange sense of forgetfulness.

He checked his system logs and his memory but found nothing amiss, so he no longer dwelled on it.

"The second ability of Heart Demon Dao Soldiers has been successfully perfected, giving me a bit of strength in return."

Gu Shanhai felt his power increasing; he now had five hundred Heart Demon Dao Soldiers, which, having acquired the second ability, were ranked as low-tier Daoist Soldiers.

"I must say, this increases the consumption."

Heart Demon Dao Soldiers had their advantages and disadvantages. The good part was that the stronger Gu Shanhai became, the stronger the Heart Demon Dao Soldiers would get, all without consuming any other resources. The bad news was the constant consumption increased even more.

He dared not turn all his Guardian Demons into Heart Demon Dao Soldier forms, sticking to using just five hundred for now.

Since they were now low-tier Daoist Soldiers, the consumption would surely increase significantly once they reached the top-tier.

"For the third ability, let’s choose protection."

With the Heart Demon Dao Soldiers now having extra attack power from Heart Demon Strikes and recovery and enhancement from Heart Demon Desires, protection naturally needed to follow.

Although a Mana aura could be added, having in-built protection and then stacking would surely be better.

"The Five Poison Heart ability from the Heart Demon Substitute fits well. Attackers will undergo an amplification and backlash of emotions and desires, creating a chain effect with Heart Demon Strikes and Heart Demon Desires."

"Based on this, forming an all-encompassing shield should generate an effect similar to repulsion."

"The name will be Heart Demon Bewildering Heart."

Of course, the repulsion effect is secondary; the main aspect is the shield itself, which can also absorb emotions and desires to replenish and enhance itself, although a proper ratio needs to be set to prevent issues.

With this idea in mind, Gu Shanhai’s progression became very smooth.